


On the inhale

by Jadzia_Bear



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Post S3 Finale, rest and recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28679640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadzia_Bear/pseuds/Jadzia_Bear
Summary: A fluffy little coda for the finale of season 3. Rhys and Bryce get the chance to decompress, recover, and maybe even address some feelings brought to the fore by their near-death experience.
Relationships: R.A. Bryce/Gen Rhys
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	On the inhale

**Author's Note:**

> These sweet boys deserve more fic, don't you think? If you have any ideas for more ficlets with these two, let me know ;)

Rhys’ lungs felt like they’d shrunk to a fraction of their normal size. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get more than a whisper of air into them.

The growing heaviness in his limbs pinned him to the floor and the fog around his brain grew thicker with every passing second. His final seconds.

This was how it ended, then. Maybe Owo would make it, maybe she wouldn’t. He’d never know. He’d also never know what might have happened if he’d found the nerve to tell Bryce how he felt.

With his last ounce of will, he pushed himself to the other side of the corridor and collapsed onto Bryce. There were worse ways to go than with his head pillowed on Bryce’s thigh, he supposed.

As sleep—no, death—dragged his eyelids closed for the last time, his oxygen-starved brain fancied it could even feel a gentle hand in his hair…

* * *

The first thing Rhys became aware of was a pounding headache. Then he remembered the part where he was supposed to be dead.

He opened his eyes and cautiously attempted to inhale. His lungs _filled_ with air and he almost laughed with relief.

Around him, Tilly, Owo, Detmer and Nilsson were climbing slowly, shakily, to their feet. He pushed himself up on his hands, his arm muscles aching from the oxygen deprivation.

“Hey, man,” rasped Bryce beside him.

Rhys was pretty sure they were the best words he’d ever heard.

Bryce’s eyes were bloodshot and he sounded kind of out of it, but he was _alive_.

Rhys threw his arms around his friend and pressed his face against the warm skin of his neck. Bryce chuckled and hugged him back.

Rhys wasn’t inclined to ever let go now that he had Bryce in his arms, but it seemed the day wasn’t quite finished being saved. The two men helped each other up and followed after the rest of the bridge crew, all of them smiling, hugging and clasping shoulders.

* * *

Finally, finally, once Saru and the others were back on board, Michael called in the beta shift and sent the alpha shift off duty.

“Sickbay, food, sleep, in that order,” she commanded as she herded them off the bridge.

In Sickbay, Rhys and Bryce sat down side by side on a biobed while they waited their turn with Dr Pollard.

Bryce’s gaze fell on the nearby replicator. “Computer, two hotdogs and two chocolate milkshakes.”

_“Dude,”_ Rhys said appreciatively, leaning over as far as possible so he could reach their food without actually having to get up.

He passed Bryce his dog and shake and they both sat shoulder to shoulder in contented silence, munching and slurping on the food of the gods.

* * *

After the doctor had checked them over and treated any lingering effects of oxygen deprivation, Rhys returned to his quarters.

He took a shower—a proper one, with hot water (this was not the time for that sonic bullshit). He tipped his head back, letting the water pelt away the sweat and grime of the day.

He was in his sleep pants and just about to climb into bed when his door buzzed.

“Just me, Gen,” came Bryce’s voice through the comm.

“Come on in, R.A.,” Rhys replied.

Even after the day they’d had, his heart still managed a flutter as the doors parted and Bryce stepped inside.

He was in civvies too, looking all cleaned up and ready for bed. Rhys was glad to see that Dr Pollard had been able to heal the burst blood vessels in his eyes. The more that could be healed of their traumatic experience, the better.

Bryce’s gaze swept over Rhys’ bare torso then back up to his face, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.

The thing about Bryce, other than the fact that he was handsome, sweet and smart, was that he was generally pretty chill. And even when he didn’t feel chill, he was good at acting chill. Rhys could tell the difference though. Bryce clearly had something on his mind.

“So I was thinking about today,” Bryce started as he wandered (paced?) around Rhys’ quarters. “And how we nearly died without me having told… certain people certain things.”

Bryce stopped in front of him. “And I just came over here to…”

Rhys let himself get lost in beautiful, liquid brown eyes, wondering vaguely what Bryce was on about.

“Fuck it,” Bryce murmured to himself, abandoning whatever he’d been about to say.

With the tenderest of touches, he cupped Rhys’ face in his hands.

Oh.

_He_ was the certain person who needed to know the certain thing.

Rhys considered briefly that maybe oxygen was never actually restored and this was the final hallucination of his dying brain, but then Bryce’s lips were on his, too warm and intoxicating to be anything but real.

After only a few moments Bryce eased back, letting one palm slide down to the side of Rhys’ neck and the other to his shoulder.

“Thoughts?” Bryce’s tone was deceptively light, like he was trying to make it easy for Rhys to brush the whole thing off if he wanted to.

“Do that again,” Rhys breathed, and dragged Bryce back in for another kiss.

“Oh thank god,” Bryce mumbled against Rhys’ mouth, making him laugh.

Rhys wrapped his arms around the man he very nearly lost just hours ago and kissed him soundly.

He slid his palms up Bryce’s back and pressed their chests together, revelling in the opportunity to fully express his feelings for his closest friend.

At the first touch of Bryce’s tongue, he parted his lips, welcoming him in. He cupped Bryce’s jaw, brushing his thumb over the neat stubble of his beard.

There was no holding in the soft moan elicited by Bryce’s hands skimming over the skin of his back and sides.

Rhys didn’t want this to stop, like, ever, but his body was beginning to remind him that he really needed rest.

“Hey, do you want to sleep here tonight?” Rhys asked. “Like, just to sleep, I mean?” he amended, cheeks warming.

“Hell yes,” Bryce agreed, walking Rhys backwards toward the bed one kiss at a time.

They climbed under the covers and arranged themselves lying on their sides, legs entangled, fingers laced and faces ridiculously close, just because they could.

Rhys asked the computer to turn off the lights.

He took a deep breath and sighed contentedly, grateful for the air in his lungs and the man in his arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I'm always so grateful to anyone who takes a chance on one of my rarepairs! Every comment and kudos is a precious gift, thank you :)


End file.
